* Posts by Eddy Ito

4662 publicly visible posts • joined 27 Apr 2007

Dear US gov: Stay the hell out of Silicon Valley

Eddy Ito
Grenade

"Dear US gov"

"Stay the hell out of Silicon Valley"

I wholeheartedly concur but the author might be disappointed by my meaning. I assume the real meaning is 'Stay the hell out but keep the money flowing in.' What's that? I hurt your feelings? From the SF Gate, "Tax breaks for corporations that promise to help Obama achieve that goal will be the topic du jour for Silicon Valley CEOs with whom Locke is scheduled to meet behind closed doors." How about this little tidbit from the Mercury News; "President Barack Obama, looking to gain backing from Silicon Valley for his just-released 2012 budget -- which includes generous support for research and development amid calls from congressional Republicans for deeper spending cuts -- is scheduled to meet privately with tech heavyweights Thursday evening..."

You want to play both sides? The Valley wants the people's money but doesn't want to deal with the people's rules. I gotta say; I'm sorry pumpkin, it doesn't work that way.

Antennagate Redux: Consumer Reports condemns Verizon iPhone 4

Eddy Ito

Simply lovely

I love how the iPhans come out to defend Apple. It's almost as if Apple needs defending. Oh do they howl whey it's pointed out that someone else did "x" first but it took Apple to make it great and all forerunners were garbage. One would think this wasn't an evolutionary process of advances. Sure, the iPhone is pretty good today and although it is starting to show some age in the connection tech it's still useful for many.

Also it isn't like those previous devices were garbage in their day, just less advanced and perhaps not all that enticing - how shocking is that? We all know cars made in 1927 were garbage because most of them have been thrown away, or worse - "customized".

Certainly there were growing pains and everyone got to suffer them including Apple but the iPhans will say Palms, Treos, Blackberrys, R380s, Windows tablets, the lot, were all garbage but... quietly somewhere in the back of their mind they know the Newton was the best thing evar... until the i[Phone,Pad,Pod]. They refute claims that Apple's products are an evolutionary advancement but are instead a revolutionary victory declaring to the market that a PDA/phone need not be priced under $150, you just need to add enough stuff to make it compelling.

Apple shareholders nix disclosure of Jobs succession plan

Eddy Ito

"nix disclosure"

This changes everything! But then again, I'm sure whatever the lack of a plan is, it will be magical and re-revolutionary... again?

Sheep as smart as humans: Official

Eddy Ito

About the same

Sounds just like people I've met over the years; flockers, plankers and the occasional bright spark.

HBGary 'puppets' FAIL to convince

Eddy Ito

Same same

Funny stuff. Did someone just smell the coffee and wake up over at Kos? I love the expressed outrage, it's almost as if this was ground breaking news and not something that has been going on for years. The only new bits here are that it's being openly discussed and the FedBizOops bit is just a sign that Uncle Sam is too dumb to realize that this would be more effective if you didn't tell everyone you're doing it.

In the long run this only undermines the trust folks have in the newer media formats which is undoubtedly why Kos' Happy is so upset. Then again, many of these people are shouting into an echo chamber anyway so the effect of corporate/ fed poseurs going in to try shouting down those they perceive as dissenters is going to be right near nil. Either that, or people will have to relearn how to read Pravda.

Watson? Commercial – not super – computer

Eddy Ito

Not a real test

I dare it to correctly answer half of the questions posed by the missus. You know the type, "should I wear these red shoes with this dress or those vermilion ones?", "do these jeans make by butt look big?" and "do you think she is pretty?"

Good luck with that Watson.

US robot ornithopter spy-hummingbird in flight test triumph

Eddy Ito

Oh dear

This could easily be the most popular cat toy to ever be invented.

Amazon threatens Texas exit over tax bill

Eddy Ito
Coffee/keyboard

Thank you

"... indictment of the US tax system." Thanks for that, I haven't laughed so hard in years. I take it you've never read any of the instructions for tax forms.

Eddy Ito

Seems some don't get it

Amazon isn't paying any taxes either way. These are sales taxes that are paid by the buyer. What Texas wants is sales taxes that Amazon likely didn't collect and therefore can't give to Texas. Amazon's beef is that every state has their own tax laws each with different rates and on different items. Some states are easy and tax everything or nothing, others only tax certain items that aren't considered necessities and some even have different rates on different items. Some examples I've seen in my travels: trousers, no; belt, yes; shirt, no; tie, yes; shoes, depends on the shoe; steak, no; steak sandwich, yes; milk, no; beer, (and you'll agree this is just wrong) yes. Add to that total mess and you have sales taxes collected by local municipalities. California alone is a giant mess where literally traveling a block to the Charbucks in the next town can change the price of your superhalfcafventivanillamochalattepuchino grande a few percent.

That said I imagine keeping track of all of this is quite a hassle and would likely require the resources of a giant compute cluster and armies of people in every state keeping track as local governments each adjust their rates. Should the seller also collect sales taxes for the state they ship from as if the purchase was done in person? Why should the "ship to" state have all the revenue fun? Perhaps the delivery agent should pay the sales tax where they pick up and collect the sales tax where they deliver.

I guess the problem in Texas is that they have a sales distribution fulfillment center there and that looks very like a store. Given that we don't know what Amazon knows or what Texas knows, the question becomes one of the basis. What exactly is Texas basing its numbers on? Does Texas have the sales data for sales made in Texas? If they did, why don't they send bills to the people actually responsible for paying the tax, the customers in Texas? Or could it be based on that particular fulfillment centers revenue, a number they would have, and thereby taxing all items even those delivered out of state? Most likely, Texas is doing what every other state does and says, hmm, we're $265m short, who can we try to get that from?

In the long run what really matters is the law. Does the law require Amazon to collect the sales tax and on what? The only thing that's clear is that Amazon and Texas don't agree and it remains to be seen if Texas will turn away or go to court and will Amazon turn away or pick up its ball and go.

Starbucks' iPhone barcode app easily scammed by screengrab

Eddy Ito

Shocking

Charbucks finally has something worth taking. Oh, you say it's only of value in their shop? Huh, security through antipathy, that's a new one to me but it just might work.

Wintery January hurts US jobs growth

Eddy Ito

Gubbies in weather shocker... again

Sometimes it boggles the mind. Who would think that cold weather and flying snow keeps folks inside snuggled up with hot toddies and nachos? I think what really took the moronic bureaucrats in D.C. by surprise is that this winter weather occurred in January. Who could have foreseen such anomalous weather patterns? The pols were clearly expecting most folks to be out in t-shirt and shorts toiling away and looking forward to that weekend waltz on the beach followed by shopping and fine dining in the evening.

Republican reps push for mandatory gun ownership

Eddy Ito
Grenade

Re: It turns out, the Founding Fathers would beg to disagree.

One minor niggling point. Damn near everyone in the US with a job already pays some variant of TDI (Temporary Disability Insurance) that is a compulsory deduction from their paycheck. I suppose it would be nice if it were only 1% and I'm sure someone pays that little. More to the point, it isn't the 1% really it's another 1% and another and another.

You forgot to mention, gubbermint also requires some professions to piss in a cup or pay to join the professionals club or pay state certification fees. The point is, back then the sailors could choose to say "screw this" and go work on a farm out on the frontier which could be just as dangerous. Hospitals? Half the time, it was some politically connected oligarch running you into the ground. With the current compulsory health insurance, the only alternative a person can choose is to die, oh wait, that's illegal unless it happens naturally but the docs can always hook you up and make your body tick on so that option is out. Here I thought it was rough getting them to pull the plug under the republicasses.

Besides, why should we need more broken insurance? If they want to nationalize it, just do it and stop screwing around. It's like the bloody cigarette tax. "We won't ban them but we'll tax" the living shit out of smokers under the pretense of paying for health care. What do you mean that isn't enough? A pack of butts in NYC is over $10 on a product cost of under $1. Here's an idea, tax health care at the same rate and every little trip to the ER when Jonny has a runny nose will cover the poor schlub who has a heart attack on the metro stairs.

I could understand perhaps catastrophic health insurance for the major problems, you know, blown motor or bent chassis type of things. But, I don't see a need for insurance that covers lube jobs, tire rotations and the like and yet that is all we get to choose, I mean, will be forced to take. Let me choose my insurance, I can handle a high deductible and I'm sorry if you can't. I really only need someone to cover that kidney or some such down the road should mine go bad before the rest of me. Unfortunately the Mass. law limits deductibles and if yours is too high, you get fined even when you already have insurance. Why should I have to cough up a $15 co-pay and be limited to 30 pills each month on a $22 prescription? Thank goodness for online Mexican pharmacies. I appreciate the gubbermint's efforts but why do they have to be so god damn stupid about it? I suppose by Un^H^HNanny Sam's standards, I should feel privileged I get to wipe my own nose instead of being required to hire some certified "professional" in a white frock to do it for me.

It wouldn't bother me so much if gubbermint weren't full of incompetent half wits who sit about pondering what to screw up next and then proceed to do it.

Google to settle state 'Wi-Spy' spat out of court

Eddy Ito
Black Helicopters

All settled then

Did Google get some DARPA grant we don't know about? You know, the go about and collect all sorts of data on Joe Everyman, create an indexed database of said data then come back and tell us how effective it would be to create a ground based AWACS, dubbed WEEDWACS for Wheeled Extralegal Electronic Data Wiretap And Collection System.

I guess this just shows the states have been read in on the program and the GOOG has agreed to allow the local attorney general to have their own link to the search database.

Sci/tech doctorate protects you from unemployment – in the US

Eddy Ito

LOL

I'm sure their people are capable of handling the 2010 figures but being gubbermint they won't get the relevant data for at least another year. That is, unless they misplace that particular shoebox for a few years.

Mexican army interdicts dope-slinging catapult

Eddy Ito
Thumb Up

Also a cactus

Naco, Sonora and Naco, Arizona, IIRC were named after the cactus but your version is much better and does explain the flinging apparatus to some extent. Now I must know, was the truck used to cock it or fire it?

Videogame TRAINS TERRORISTS, yells pundit

Eddy Ito

What is this?

The headline clearly indicated this was about "TRAINS TERRORISTS"! Now I read it and find out it's not even about PLANES TERRORISTS!

Seriously, would they have said anything different if it had been a night club instead of an airport? Well, perhaps it would be a different game. Of course next week travelers may find the perv scanners have been moved to the building entrances.

Utah to honour Browning M1911 semi-automatic

Eddy Ito
Go

Thank goodness

Here I thought they were wasting taxpayer dollars on pointless frivolity. Now on to serious business; I hereby nominate the potato digger as the Utah State Garden Tool and the ottoman as the State Accessory Furniture Piece. Now Gladys, we already covered the State China Pattern and decided it would be unpatriotic so we're stayin' with paper plates! Now, do I have a second?

Man killed by own cock

Eddy Ito

Not very sporting

Here we have a fairly bright bird armed to the teeth, so to speak, versus a human who's a few cups short of a pint. I'm actually surprised this doesn't happen more often. It's a little disappointing really.

Yank fires up iPhone-controlled beer cannon

Eddy Ito
Pint

You're no sailor

Beer in Tins = Floats!

Bogus Kama Sutra presentation opens your backdoor to hackers

Eddy Ito

Oh

Here I was thinking the article was NSFW but now I see it's the phony ppt file that's NSFW and I could have read the article at work after all.

Assange vows to drop 'insurance' files on Rupert Murdoch

Eddy Ito
Paris Hilton

Don't be surprised

It's really quite simple to explain. Internet Explorer Six. Yes, the primary, if not the only, blessed data handling tool utilized by the US gubbermint. When you're forced to manage all your top super duper secret data with colander style security tools... yeah. It boggles even Paris.

Intel shells out $1.5bn for Nvidia tech

Eddy Ito
FAIL

Damn!

I knew I should have bitten the bullet and sold off something last week but no, I was waiting to capture one last quarterly dividend transfer in my Roth IRA to starting serious scoops of NVDA. I was mildly concerned at the not-so-immodest CES bump but this has me kicking myself. Oh well, I'll get some street cred points over at marketwatch that I can use, along with $2.50, to buy a cup of coffee in the morning.

Fail because, well... I deserve it.

Android's Gingerbread finagled onto iPhone

Eddy Ito

Please, oh iPlease

Let the the name of an upcoming Android release with iOS app compatibility be Apple pie!

Apple shareholders call for transparent CEO 'succession plans'

Eddy Ito
Joke

I thought it was obvious

We're supposed to look for the kid wearing the general's uniform^W^W black turtleneck at the next Apple keynote.

EU in Chinese garlic-crushing operation

Eddy Ito
Coat

Splendid

Polish vampires can now relax knowing the EU is there to protect an ancient way of life full of shallots with nary a hint of garlic in sight.

FCC chair: 'Unleash more wireless spectrum or face doom'

Eddy Ito

Spectrum! Durn near kill'd em!

So now I know it isn't that hard to use the word spectrum so many times that it begins to fade out of consciousness like a single blade of grass vanishing into the dew moistened meadow with little blue flowers and the hum of happy bees. If only we could just unleash that 400 to 700 nanometer spectrum and sell it to the highest bidder, we could buy our way out of the dep^H^H^Hrecession and into more jobs in less optical markets.

Facebook riddled by 'my first ever status message' scam app

Eddy Ito
Grenade

I get these by email all the time

Usually it appears to come from a friend and the subject line is always the same. It reads, "Joe Blow has invited you to be his friend on Facebook!" From there it's little more than a link to a page that wants all your private information in exchange for more spam. I hear they even made a movie about the scammer running the whole thing. Go figure.

Cell phone search needs no warrant, say Cal Supremes

Eddy Ito

Interesting twist

A smartphone is capable of accessing email which the sixth circuit found to be protected by the 4th Amendment. I can see that mobile encryption technology might be a good stock investment.

Pre-holiday chip sales go flat

Eddy Ito
Grenade

All well and nice

It's a pretty chart and all but I didn't see where it shows what dollars they are using. Certainly I presume it's US dollars but since it isn't mentioned which US dollars I can only assume they use dollars of the day. While, as I mentioned, that makes for a pretty chart, it doesn't account for inflation as it would if it were normalized to November 2010 dollars or January 2000 dollars.

Given the 2010 dollar is about 70.5 cents in 1996 US money, it makes the numbers somewhat less impressive and would indicate the relatively flat Y/Y period just before the "massive hole" may well have been, shall we say, flirting with negative territory. Granted, I'm sure it likely wasn't wallowing in the red between '05 and '08 but it isn't the long and slow upward march it appears.

Likewise, if you happen to be one who agrees with the US BLS and believes inflation was negative in 2009 and saw your dollars go farther than they did the year before, the "massive hole" isn't quite so deep but that news doesn't make the fall any nicer. Finally, celebrations of the rocket ride to the Everest like post hole peak were clearly premature and perhaps we are just coming back to the new normal of growth that, if we're lucky, will keep pace with inflation.

Apple patent endangers unbiased product reviews

Eddy Ito

Border Collies would be better

This is the perfect scheme that can pay both ways. Sure one incentive stream could come from the authors of iFart which rewards favorable reviews of iFart but there is also another which pays for unfavorable reviews of rival iPhlatulence.

How sad for Apple they are sure to run afoul of the DoJ as this must certainly be indistinguishable from online gambling in the FBI's ...erm... "i"s.

US woman sues again over XP 'downgrade', seeks class action

Eddy Ito
WTF?

Odd pricing to begin with

Microsoft's pricing model is about as screwed up as it gets. I'd be shocked if someone could explain the logic behind why the 7 Ultimate anytime upgrade from 7 Professional is $130 (the full boxed version is only $20 cheaper) and from 7 Home Premium it's $140 (full box version $120 cheaper). It pretty much says avoid Pro as $20 is cheap insurance if you ever want something you can only get in Ultimate.

Oracle revs Sun's VirtualBox hypervisor

Eddy Ito
Thumb Up

This could actually be good!

Inasmuch as the base product is open source and they have obviously built a plug-in mechanism for the extension packs, it opens up a path for others to write extensions to fill vacancies that exist. These packs could equally be free or pay to play. Oracle may not know it but they may have even opened up whole new opportunities they never imagined and that, for us, could be a very good thing indeed.

Feds please no one with first official net neut rules

Eddy Ito

I can only guess

3 was going to be "we screw the other guy and pass the savings on to you". Of course it would be told to everyone, it's the government way to be honest.

Gawker tech boss admits site security was crap

Eddy Ito
Flame

So?

Am I the only person who uses throwaway addresses with nothing behind them when signing on the sites that I'm not absolutely certain about doing business with? Sure, this one "got" me but all I did was walk away from another free webmail account with no links to my "inner me". Oh no, now a bunch of gawker crackers know my middle name thinking it's my first and that my favorite color on that account was medium rare neoprene. Yeah, good luck with that guys. Perhaps it's time for a university course titled, "iCYA, tell the web data scrapers to kiss your arse".

Apple, EMC, and Oracle in Novell patent play

Eddy Ito

Only one real option

Given the players, most of the patents fairly have to be of the storage and file system variety. If I had to play specifics I'd say the important group of patents pertains to database and file system performance on "the cloud". There has to have something in it for each of them be it virtualization, serving up mobile ads, search functionality, distributed database, and SaaS type stuff. Something that lets Apple and MS get a leg up on the GOOG, Oracle gets to one up SAP and EMC gets to float jabs at HP and IBM. Did anybody ever say the patents had been approved? Ooh, look there's some potentially interesting applications now, 20100287140 and 20100228853 for starters.

Zuckerberg beats Assange to claim Person of the Year™

Eddy Ito
Alien

It wasn't the movie

The movie was done by a Sony company and Time is a Time Warner company so clearly that wasn't it. Perhaps it was more to not piss off a government so they couldn't pick Assange or Liu Xiaobao. In the end, being milquetoast, they went with who they figured was the least globally offensive option.

What do you mean it's an alien icon? I thought that was the Time cover.

Email protected by Fourth Amendment, says appeals court

Eddy Ito
Thumb Up

Hat trick!

Well isn't that just a Merry Christmas to all. How did they know? It's just what I wanted.

Grand jury meets to decide fate of WikiLeaks founder

Eddy Ito

Fairly close

A grand jury is supposed to be an independent body that is essentially supposed to investigate and try the prosecution to ensure any evidence is sufficient for trial. As such is was originally a two edged sword in that if the grand jury thought the prosecutor was on a personal vendetta or corrupt, they were quite within their rights to spin the case the opposite way and have the prosecutor tried for abuse of power or corruption. The sad reality is that too many people have watched one episode of [insert court/police drama name here] and so believe the so called "good guys" to be infallible. As always, the final line of defense is jury nullification which can be undertaken by either the grand or petite jury.

No, IANAL but have suffered the indignity of sitting on both types of jury with both the "hang 'em high" and "stick it to the man" whack job types. With a grand jury being 23 people you get more of both and a bigger headache.

Flash is not that reliable

Eddy Ito

Agreed

I read the headline and got the lyrics to "No shit Sherlock" stuck in my head.

Google 'Crankshaft' inspired by Sun Java HotSpot

Eddy Ito

Your pulling my crank

Is it me or is it odd that Google has a penchant for naming it's stuff after bits of dino-juice burning automobiles? At least I understand a "V8" engine but a "Crankshaft" engine? As opposed to what, a turbine perhaps. What happened to going green? Where is the "solar flair" or the "aerogenerative thermantidote"? So I ask you, will the next great GOOG tweak be something useful for the fool injected masses or will the whole naming convention backfire like a pool of raw gas in the carburetor?

It's just me, isn't it. Oh, yes, another margarita will do nicely, thanks.

White House forbids feds from reading WikiLeaked cables

Eddy Ito

Really!?!

"... it is terrifying to learn that they run the White House"

You must be young, it's nearly always been clowns. To quote Guy Fawkings book, "A Brief History of Government":

"A well-known politician once gave a public lecture on various forms of government. He described democracy, monarchy, authoritarianism and anarchy. At the end a little old lady cried: "Bullshit! Government is really a flat plate to collect your money supported by a clown holding you at gunpoint." The politician smirked, saying "What is supporting the clown?" The old biddy answered, "You think you're so smart, but it's clowns all the way down!""

BURNING LUST for SEXY BUSTY BLONDES - Science explains

Eddy Ito

Pah

Barbie is freakishly scary. If made to scale, she might be able to stand with skis and gravity would easily ruin the fun after a few short years. I hate to say it but boobs are over rated, give me a girl with great gams that go all the way up and make a fine arse out of themselves any day.

Wikileaks exposes Clinton's cyberspy wish-list

Eddy Ito

But, but, but...

Can't we choose "all of the above"?

WikiLeaks re-taunts feds with US Amazon mirrors

Eddy Ito
Big Brother

Security theatre, part deux

It seems clear Assange wants to be the guy who says what we all can plainly see; the imperious have no clothes. The US gov takes this bait because they feel a need to show how big and powerful their... theatre is. Combined with the promise of a more open gubbermint we get a cloak of invisible transparency vs. a transparent visible cloak. The minimal dagger rattling is to appear as the injured party and let's face it, in the end nobody really gets hurt other than the sacrificial lambs. Don't think about it too much, it's all in fun so long as you have popcorn at hand.

For those not watching the theatre, ask yourself what's going on while the wiki-distraction plays itself out. Nobody seems to want to talk about the value of a dollar, so-so security, unemployment cutoff, the supply of distressed housing or a whole raft of other topics guaranteed to raise hackles on a Monday. No! Look over there! Secrets! OMBFD!

US cable giant Comcast accused of internet video 'toll booth'

Eddy Ito

Fuck [insert ISP name here]

Because Uncle Sam can't see the forest for the greenbacks stuffed into pols pockets doesn't mean the Sherman anti-trust act isn't still in play.

"Every contract, combination in the form of trust or otherwise, or conspiracy, in restraint of trade or commerce among the several States, or with foreign nations, is declared to be illegal."

As I read it, RICO might also come into play, as Comcast is essentially asking protection money for Level 3 packets. Time to strip Comcast and the rest of the regional monopolies and separate "information super-highways" from drivers and auto makers. Imagine if GM could determine the tolls for Ford drivers.

Tea Party activists accused of rigging Dancing vote to favour Palin

Eddy Ito

This is news why?

Found it. It might come as a shock but the Rs like that show more than the Ds.

http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/blogs/live-feed/right-wing-tv-43558

They also like American Idol and long walks on the beach with desperate housewives. According to the list, the Ds are more Kourtney and Khloe take Miami and the Good Wife. So we get... crap on both sides really. Kinda sums up each party really, sure you get different crap but does it really matter if it's being served in a waffle cone or a sugar cup? The stench is the same.

Putting the internet into neutral, or neutering the net?

Eddy Ito

The FCC is a funny and whacky bunch

Come now, even the FCC don't believe those four principles from 2005. To recap;

(1) consumers are entitled to access Internet content of their choice; (2) consumers are entitled to run applications and services of their choice; (3) consumers are entitled to connect their choice of devices to the internet; and (4) consumers are entitled to competition among internet providers.

(1) Where is that local access online gambling server? (2) Don't mind if I operate my own online gambling servers? (3) Somewhere, some day, somebody will try connecting their sour mash still to the internet or some such thing but I suppose with the first three it isn't the FCC who will be cracking those particular whips. (4) Hahahaha, as long as the FCC considers 56k dialup as competition with 700k DSL and 7M cable, this will remain the biggest running joke foisted on the consumer evar! Simply a laugh factory those gubberminty types.

LIDL punts circular saw blades to innocent kiddies

Eddy Ito

Oh the joy

Now the kiddies can head out for a little time in the park with a new plush metal frisbee and have a game of catch with their noisy friends. Be advised that I don't recommend allowing them to bring the dog... unless it's one of those little incessant yappy types.

Palm Pixi Plus budget smartphone

Eddy Ito

Nice and rugged

I have to say that as a clumsy oaf, I like the fact that the pixi can take a beating. I can't say how many times it's slipped out of my shirt pocket, been sat on and the countless counter height falls on to concrete flooring. Mine has even been for a quick dip in the cat's water dish some time ago and still works fine. I do wonder why Palm and now HP don't point out these strengths over the new Apple iP4. Mega marketing failure.

Prof to drill camera into own skull

Eddy Ito
Coat

Ah those wacky professors

There are those times when you think they must have a hole in their head...

So will interchangeable lenses be Nikon, Canon, Leica... what, inquiring minds and all that other stuff oozing from... oh fine, it's the one with a 3eb cd in the pocket.